“The other aspect came in post-production when he would send me different edits, and I would give notes and suggestions. ‘What if you try this, what if you cut that out, or use that shot, or that angle’, but I didn’t have to do much – he’s got great instincts.”

Love is a striking hour of television which focuses on families who have been placed in temporary accommodation in the run-up to Christmas.

Many have been evicted by their landlords, and the conditions of the housing they now find themselves in are not pleasant.

Several families share a single toilet. They fight over limited kitchen space and possessions. One couple is struggling to make ends meet for their two children, as they prepare for the arrival of a third.

Zeldin shies away from commenting on the film’s political message, although the implication is that councils are under-funded, the population too high, and the housing crisis more acute than ever.

“The key point about this is that Christmas is a family moment, a moment where people are with their loved ones, celebrations inside the home,” director Zeldin tells BBC News.

“And the fact these people don’t have a home makes it all the more poignant. It’s a different kind of family film and a different kind of Christmas film.

Schwimmer explains: “I’ve been directing as long as I’ve been acting. I find it sometimes more intellectually stimulating.

“Acting can be quite intuitive and instinctive, and sometimes intellectual if you’re researching a certain role, but more often than not I found directing was more intellectually challenging.

Image caption Barbara, played by Anna Calder-Marshall, is cared for by her son in the temporary housing

“I use the analogy of a great sports or athletic event – sometimes I like being the coach or captain, but other times I just want to be the best second base player for your team.

“That’s baseball,” he adds helpfully, “for those who don’t know!”

Zeldin, who both adapted and directed the film version of his own play, enjoys a similar creative freedom to Schwimmer.

“I’m fortunate in that I don’t want to compromise in the way I work, I’m not a jobbing director, I only want to do things that I originate and write myself, and develop my style and way of working,” he says.

“Wait, you’re doing the new Bond right?” jokes Schwimmer as he hears this.